20.1 Kennedy and the Cold War

The Election of 1960 The Democratic nominee for president was Massachusetts senator John Kennedy Republican opponent was Vice President Richard Nixon Two factors helped put Kennedy over the top: television and the civil rights issue Two factors helped put Kennedy over the top: television and the civil rights issue Televised debate Kennedy was quick, aggressive and cool. Nixon was strangely nervous, perspiring profusely, so badly made up…that under the baleful glare of floodlights he looked ill. Kennedy and King Kennedy and King The African-American community, whose votes helped carry key states for Kennedy in the Midwest and South The African-American community, whose votes helped carry key states for Kennedy in the Midwest and South

Kennedy Takes Command Threatening the use of nuclear arms over a minor conflict was not a risk Kennedy wished to take Flexible response A stronger military would give the president more options in international crisis

Crisis Over Cuba January 3, 1961 Fidel Castro had openly declared himself a Communist and welcomed aid for the Soviet Union Castro’s government took control of three oil refineries owned by American and British firms Broke up commercial farms into communes that would be worked by formally landless peasants Castro relied increasingly on Soviet aid

The Bay of Pigs 1960 President Eisenhower gave the CIA permission to secretly train hundreds of Cuban exiles for an invasion of Cuba April 17, 1961 some 1,400 Cuban exiles landed on the island’s southern coast An air strike carried out two days before had failed to knock out the Cuban air force A small advance group sent to distract Castro’s forces never reached shore. When the commando unit finally landed, it faced 20,000 Cuban troops, backed up by Soviet tanks and jet aircraft The disaster left Kennedy embarrassed Castro defiantly welcomed further Soviet aid

The Cuban Missile Crisis Summer of 1962 The flow of Soviet weapons to Cuba, including nuclear missiles increased greatly Soviets were secretly building missile bases on Cuba The U.S. Navy prepared to quarantine Cuba and Prevent ships from coming within 300 miles of the island. In Florida, nearly 200,000 men were being concentrated in the largest invasion force ever assembled in the U.S. Soviet ships halted to avoid confrontation at sea Khrushchev offered to remove the missiles in return for an American pledge not to invade Cuba

The Berlin Crisis In the 11 years since the Berlin Airlift almost 3 million East Germans, 20% of that countries population fled to west Berlin Khrushchev realized that this problem had to be solved quickly Just after midnight on August 13, 1961 East German troops began to unload concrete posts and rolls of barbed wire along the border between East and West Berlin The Berlin Wall